Sarabjit Singh's family to visit Pakistan

Amritsar, Apr. 27 (ANI): Four family members of Sarabjit Singh, the Indian national on death row in Pakistan, have been granted visa by the Pakistan High Commission to meet him in Lahore.

Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur today said the High Commission in Delhi has issued visa to the family and she along with his daughters Poonam, Swapandeep Kaur and the prisoner's wife Sukhpreet Kaur would be travelling to Lahore.

Sarabjit's daughter Swapandeep said that she was now relaxed that she would be seeing her father and take good care of him.

"We will shift him to a better hospital after going there," she added.

Sarabjit's another daughter Poonam said that she was feeling a little better now that she would be meeting her father.

" There was a lot of tension earlier as to in which condition he would be there," she added.

Sarabjit Singh's family had earlier on Friday demanded immediate issuance of visa on hearing of the attack on him inside Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail.

Sarabjit Singh was in a 'deep coma' and put on ventilator support after being assaulted by a group of prisoners inside a Pakistani jail.

Two Indian High Commission officials got consular access to Sarabjit Singh in the ICU of Jinnah Hospital this morning, where he was admitted after being attacked by two prisoners in the jail.

The Indian mission had contacted Pakistan's Foreign Office on Friday night to seek consular access.

The two Indian officials went to the hospital and spent some time with Sarabjit.

Security has been beefed up at the hospital, where dozens of police commandos have been deployed.

The attack took place inside Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail when the victim and other prisoners were brought out of their cells for an hour-long break. The two prisoners assaulted Sarabjit with blunt objects and he sustained a severe head injury.

Sarabjit Singh was arrested in Pakistan in 1991 and sentenced to death on charges of spying and carrying out four bomb blasts that killed 14 people.

However, his family contends he is innocent and a victim of wrong identity who crossed into Pakistan in 1990 in an inebriated state. (ANI)

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